Alaskan Artist - Elise Tomlinson
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Home » Archives » August 2005 » Pat Robertson = CRAZY RELIGIOUS ZEALOT FREAK!

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08/23/2005: "Pat Robertson = CRAZY RELIGIOUS ZEALOT FREAK!"


If you want to read an amazingly good article written by Christian writer Bill McKibben, check out this month's Harper's magazine, "The Christian Paradox: How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong" which discusses why so many people in the United States who claim to be Christian, appear to have never actually read Christ's teachings.

I'd never believe that a Christian would reccommend the US assasinate a democratically elected world leader for example....unless you then tell me that that someone was crazy evangelical Christian frontman Pat Robertson!

In October 2003, he suggested that the State Department be blown up with a nuke. He also wrote in a 1992 fundraising letter: "The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians."

After the attacks of 9/11 he talked on the 700 Club about the attacks with Jerry Falwell: "We have allowed rampant secularism and occult, et cetera, to be broadcast on television. We have permitted somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 to 40 million unborn babies to be slaughtered in our society. We have a Court that has essentially stuck its finger in God's eye... And, then we say 'why does this happen?' Well, why its happening is that God Almighty is lifting His protection from us."

Anyone who gives money to this man is an idiot! He is nothing but a crook. He used cargo planes from his tax-exempt charity Operation Blessing to move supplies to and from his African *diamond mine*. He also condems gambling but then bought a race horse worth hundreds of thousands of dollars that he only sold *after* the New York Times broke the story.

He also does business in China and appeared on CNN defending China's forced-abortion policy: "Well, you know, I don't agree with it, but at the same time, they've got 1.2 billion people and they don't know what to do... If every family over there was allowed to have three or four children, the population would be completely unsustainable... so I think that right now they're doing what they have to do."

He's refered to universities as "termites" that are due for a "godly fumigation" and has said that the way Christians are treated in the US is the same exact thing as what the Nazis did to Jews in WWII!!!

CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY MAN!


Replies: 17 Comments

on Tuesday, August 23rd, Markus Barca said

"Courage of his convictions..."

on Tuesday, August 23rd, Elise said

Are you being sarcastic Markus? I hope so, because what I was trying to show above is that Robertson is a spineless self-serving wuss who manipulates Christian principles to line his own filthy pockets.

How can he have the "courage of his convictions" when he constantly preaches that abortion is murder but then turns around and defends forced abortions in China when it could affect their favored nation status and therefore his business dealings with China...

or how can he preach about the evils of gambling then buy a racehorse?

or how can any Christian be so full of hatred and condone assasination and war repeatedly when Jesus taught love and forgiveness, and said: "You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, *Do not resist an evildoer*. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also."

Robertson has no courage and no convictions. He claims to be a faith healer and in fact claims to heal people during each of his shows and yet when he got cancer he went to an expensive hospital for surgery and treatment.

How could he afford the best health care? Well, because he's a multi-millionaire of course (from the Harper's article) "A rich man came to Jesus one day and asked what he should do to get into heaven. Jesus did not say he should invest, spend, and let the benefits trickle down; he said sell what you have, give the money to the poor, and follow me."

I myself am not a Christian but I bet I've actually read the new testament more than most who claim to be. I think if the Christians in this country lived by the principles that Jesus taught, especially regarding caring for the poor and down trodden, this country would be a much better place.

end rant.

on Tuesday, August 23rd, Elise said

Oh, and sorry Markus if I sound like an angry zealot myself in that last comment, but I was literally *forced* to watch Pat Robertson and the 700 Club when I was growing up so I've had bad vibes brewing for him for a long long long time. This thing with him today, saying we should murder the president of Venezuela was just the last straw for me.

on Tuesday, August 23rd, Markus Barca said

Yeah, it was actually meant to be sarcastic, but there's no need to apologize. I can understand.

on Wednesday, August 24th, Kasia said

That is a very interesting issue! I often think about the differences between American and European spirituality. In America everything is about Jesus - there are so strange phenomena like TV priests or when someone gets an award(Grammy, Oscar, whatever) they always thank "Lord above", which is ...funny. It doesn't happen very often in Europe, even in Poland which is very catholic. The US is a modern society which takes what it wants from the religion and if somebody has enough charisma people will follow. I'm not saying that's its' good or bad. It's just a fact. In Poland (and in Spain , Ireland and Italy, too - the rest of the countries is very secular) everybody follows the tradition. New Age influences are not that important. But when I was in America I really liked the diversity - baptist churches, people praying in the streets etc. But what an average man needs is a solid ground and that is always the Bible. (God I feel like a preacher! I'm not a good catholic girl although I graduated from the Catholic University, that' s why I'm a know-it-all :)).
Of course it is a matter for a long long discussion and I know there are hundreds of nuances, so I don't want to generalize. People are just people. It's just sad that the religion is being used in a wrong way. (That happens in Poland , too! One year ago there was a problem with a group of peple living in the commune and banning their children go to school and eat!In the name of God!

on Wednesday, August 24th, holly said

"The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians."

He says this like it's a bad thing! :D

I read this story and just banged my head on my desk. I can't think of a single one of these loony false prophet types who hasn't eventually been found out for the pathetic, hypocritical freaks that they are. Their followers are just as confused and hypocritical (particularly the Old Testament lovers, like the Nazarenes and the Pentecostals-- there are some angry and confused people for ya! At least around here).

How do you think Mr. Robertson would react to the first reading I've assigned my class this fall in which the historian Peter Brown sets up the Early Christians as "treating themselves as a superior elite" to make up for the fact that they were a minority cult, and tended to think of themselves as "a group apart, superior to the rest of mankind." I'm sure he'd miss the irony there altogether. I have seen bumper stickers around here on the cars of holy rollers that say "If it ain't King James, it ain't Bible." King James is about as doctored and far from the original text as you can get, but that's what all the loud-mouths read. I've yet to meet one of these so-called Christians who has bothered to read Jerome's Vulgate in Latin (let alone older texts) or have even heard of the Douay-Reims version, and yet they claim to know the whole truth. I can honestly say that even I, in my proud non-Christian-ness, know more about the bible and the Christian cult than most Christians. That's pretty frightening.

on Wednesday, August 24th, Kasia said

The thing is loud! It's in every news in Poland! I didn't suspect in the morning when i was writing my first comment, that the case is that serious!!! I read the article! Jesus, this man should go to prison for what he said! It's not about spirituality or anything like that! You're right - he is freak!!! :O

on Wednesday, August 24th, Elise said

Since you were being sarcastic Markus what you said is actually really funny, it's hard to tell with you conservatives!
(see, *that* was a joke)
;)

And Kasia, the town I grew up in was formed by Irish immigrants and the entire community was Roman Catholic. I went to12 years of Catholic school, which I actually enjoyed for the most part. Everyday we had an extra hour of lessons from the public school so we could have our religion class and I got into some pretty interesting debates with the nuns and priest.

One thing about the Catholic church I could I had a major problem with was how they treated the roll of women, as subservient, unable to teach the scriptures in mass, etc. In Christianity even, all the dieties are male. So much of how we see ourselves and our own self-worth comes from how we view our maker, and the Judeo Christian tradition is all about god the Father and his son.

Anyway, didn't mean to get into a whole theological discussion here. I respect all people and their beliefs. My family is still Catholic after all! (This discussion is one of the types of things I was thinking of, that can make people who originally thought you were a good person stop reading your blog-I hope that's not the case.)

And I think Holly is right about the bible...too many people think of it as one infalible book, most American's probably know it wasn't written in English but don't know enough about how translations work in order to understand the implications of that.

So they take the English text of whichever version they grew up with, as the infalible word of god. Just like the blonde Jesus, it's so far from reality it makes me scratch my head in wonder.

It's part of what I mentioned earlier, wanting a diety who is a reflection of yourself. (and since I'm not a blonde man...)

And Holly, I was still a Christian when I started college and I remember quite clearly the outrage I felt when our art history professor (from France) refered to "Chrisitan mythology" I was so angy. You must get that a lot from your students as well.

There are so many things that we read and experience over the course of our lives that shape how we see the world, and what we believe. Faith is like being in love, you either feel it or you don't. You can't force it, I suppose you could fake it but why bother?

I can't believe in a God who would make creatures, give them brains and free will, and then punish them for beliefs based on every circumstance in their life that brought them to that conclusion.

on Wednesday, August 24th, holly said

You've touched on the slipperiest slope I encounter when I teach, Elise. I would never refer to Christianity as "mythology"-- it's too inflamatory a term. When I use the word "cult" I always qualify what I mean by that. I have to be very careful not insult the faith of people in the class (after all, I wouldn't want someone to do that to me about something I believe strongly in), but I do encourage them to look deeper at religion than perhaps they ever have.

The first lecture I give this semester will deal with syncretism and how Christianity in its cult phase borrowed important sacrements and dates and rituals from other religions. The hardcore Christians in the class aren't going to want to hear that, but art historical evidence bears the proof of it, so I'm going to teach it. It's pretty interesting, actually. Occasionally, I apologize for making light of certain episodes in the church's history-- it keeps people from being on edge in lecture and they seem to understand that I'm not attacking them for their beliefs, just poking fun at ridiculous things that happened. Hell, most of them don't even know what the crusades were about or that Christians regularly massacred Christians who believe in a slightly different doctrine. Heresy is one of my favorite topics!

What was my point? Maybe your professor should have explained himself a little better when using the term "mythology." I can see how that would piss people off if he just threw that out there.

on Wednesday, August 24th, greg said

hey, why should those carazzy Imans have all the jihady fun !? :P Wakkoo!

It will be interesting how this this play out. Falwell and Swaggart seem to still be plying their wares. Even disgraced healer Peter Popoff (radio earpiece) is back in biz. ! :confused:

I always like James 1.27: "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. "

on Wednesday, August 24th, Kasia said

I totallu agree with Yuo! That's why i said iam not a good catholic girl! I believe in God but it's not the God of priests who used to teach me at school!!! My God is free from the gender obsession and that's what the Catholic church musr learn before it truly enters the new millenium! I suppose i just didn't express myself clearly!

on Wednesday, August 24th, Elise said

This particular art history professor was a woman with a heavy french accent who was convinced she spoke perfect English with an American dialect so if anyone was brave enough to ask her to repeat something because they couldn't understand her, she would rip them a new one. She was actually quite terrifying.

And when she spoke of the "Christian Mythology" it was always in this smug/condescending way that made it even more infuriating for her Christian students. She actually was my advisor for a brief time and I grew to really like her a lot.

And Kasia, I'm glad you weren't offended by what I wrote, and I think you express yourself quite clearly, your English is excellent!
:)

on Wednesday, August 24th, Elise said

Oh, and sorry Greg, I've never heard of Peter Popoff but that's probably a good thing.

on Wednesday, August 24th, Markus Barca said

Heh. We conservatives are intentionally nebulous with our humor; it's to throw you off guard.

Actually, while in the abstract it's okay to label me a conservative, in reality my political philosophy leans more towards libertarianism (little l, not big L). You know, too liberal for the conservatives and too conservative for the liberals. :)

Just nitpickin'.

on Wednesday, August 24th, Elise said

You and my uncle Doug would get along famously! He and I actually have some interesting email exchanges and often find small areas of common ground, he's an extremely intelligent guy whom I respect a great deal...still...

keep your friends close and your enemies...
:laugh:

on Wednesday, August 24th, Markus Barca said

I've heard that saying before. I just didn't believe it extended to making them members of your family!

:P

on Thursday, August 25th, Elise said

Nice one Markus! He's in my family by blood actually, and I believe he believes in libertarianism (little l, not big L) and really the enemy thing was just a joke...
;)

Anyway, here's is a nice editorial that was in our local paper today from a woman here in Juneau:

"It was beyond the surreal to hear that the Rev. Pat Robertson suggested on his show "The 700 Club," which is televised on the Christian Broadcast Network, that American operatives should assassinate Hugo Chavez, the elected president of Venezuela.

Chavez was elected president of Venezuela in 1998 with a landslide plurality because of his pledge to help the poor majority of Venezuelans. Chavez was briefly overthrown in a coup in April, 2002, by the oligarchy which has traditionally governed Venezuela's democracy. The Bush administration gave its blessing to the coup. The poor of Venezuela protested the coup vigorously and the Venezuelan military, realizing Chavez's popularity, rebelled against the plotters and re-instated Chavez within a matter of days.

Chavez, in a very Christian-like way, forgave the plotters who overthrew him and did not imprison them, execute them nor take away their citizenship. He said that the Venezuelan constitution is "the book of the people" and must be respected, and he implored those who didn't like him to at least abide by the constitution and vote him out of office when his term expired, this while the Bush administration supported the oligarchs to initiate a special election to cut Chavez's term short. Sound familiar, California? Ring a bell, Texas?

Chavez, being a Christian, forgave his enemies. The Rev. Pat Robertson, thinking himself a Christian and being a major supporter of the Bush administration, calls for the murder of a man he doesn't agree with. Quote Robertson, "We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," "It's a lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with." (Washington Post, 8/23/05)

It seems to me that Robertson values Venezuela's oil supplies above the teachings of Christ. Robertson, like many of the people he associates with, would be less of a hypocrite if he didn't wrap himself in the flag and stand beneath the cross while advocating murder."

Lisle Hebert

Juneau